You Are Not Your Past

This may be good news for some and bad news for others:  You are not your past.

If you’ve had a great past, with many successes, perhaps this is not good news.

If you’ve had a tough time in the past, with few positive experiences, this may be great news.

The reality for most people probably lies somewhere in between.

Regardless, it is important that you understand that you can start fresh today.  In fact, you can start fresh right now.  All you have to do is give yourself permission to do so!  This is the toughest part for most people.  Don’t dwell on your failures; don’t rest on your laurels.  Rather, decide that the future begins fresh right now.

This theme is front and center for me right now, as I’m involved in the very difficult process of writing my father’s eulogy.  As I’m doing so, I’m realizing that many of the constraints that he lived with during his life were self-imposed.

He was a brilliant guy, with a great education, a competitive spirit, and an exceptional ability to get along with others. Yet I think he always held back quite a bit, particularly on an emotional level, due to constraints he felt that resulted from the difficult childhood he lived as an orphan during the Great Depression.

As I’m writing and preparing to deliver his eulogy, I’m realizing how much he did in his life, but I’m doubting if anyone ever said to him, or he ever said to himself:  You are not your past.

Give yourself this simple gift.  Give yourself permission to start fresh and to overcome whatever challenges and deficiencies you may have faced in the past.  You don’t have to look far to find examples of people who have overcome massive challenges to achieve extraordinary success in their lives.  You also don’t need to look far to see people who have enjoyed success, then ended up losing it all.

Remember that you are not your past and that wherever you are today, and whatever you may have done or faced in the past, you have the option to start fresh today.

If you find it difficult to do so on your own, look to those who’ve already taken the path you’re looking to follow.  You don’t need to start from scratch.  Success leaves clues, as the saying goes.  Seek the sage counsel of those who’ve gone before you.

Remember, you are not your past, but you are your present, and you will be your future.  Give yourself the gift of putting the past behind you.  Take advantage of the present.  Every moment is a chance to start fresh and go after your goals and dreams.  Don’t waste that opportunity.  Life’s too short!